King Charles III Opens Senedd, Praises Welsh 'Sense of Belonging'
The monarch's visit marked the official opening of the Senedd's seventh term and included his first meeting with First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla officially opened the Senedd's seventh term, with the monarch delivering a speech that lauded the Welsh people's "sense of belonging." The visit on Thursday also marked the King's first official meeting with First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, whose party, Plaid Cymru, has republican roots.
During his address to the Senedd chamber, the King expressed his deep connection to Wales, stating he had "always felt immensely privileged and proud to have had such a special connection with Wales, with its language, its culture and its landscape." He highlighted the "profound connection between place, people, culture and belonging" as central to Welsh identity and urged Senedd members to "bear always in mind" these strengths.
The ceremony proceeded despite a protest by approximately 30 anti-monarchy demonstrators outside the Senedd. One protester was removed and detained by police. The King's arrival in Cardiff Bay was marked by a 21-gun salute.
This visit also served as a prelude to a planned return to South Wales next week, where the King, Queen Camilla, and the Prince of Wales will visit the Aberfan memorial garden to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1966 coal tip disaster. King Charles mentioned his upcoming visit to Aberfan and met with Gareth Jones, a survivor of the disaster who was six years old at the time.
The official opening of the Senedd is a ceremony held after an election to mark the beginning of a new term, with the head of state attending to recognize the institution's role in Welsh public life. The late Queen Elizabeth II had opened every previous session of the National Assembly for Wales and the Senedd since its inception in 1999, with her last attendance being in 2021 alongside the current King and Queen.
The Senedd, which is 20 years old this year, expanded from 60 to 96 members following the May elections. First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth described the opening as a "new chapter" for national democracy and a Senedd opening "unlike any that has gone before it," emphasizing the parliament's strengthened capacity to scrutinize legislation.
The event encountered a point of contention when a poem prepared by Hanan Issa, the National Poet of Wales, was rejected by Senedd officials. Issa stated that her poem, titled "To Grow," was deemed unsuitable because the ceremony was intended to be "apolitical," despite revisions aimed at making it more abstract. The Senedd commission confirmed that "after a development process, we concluded that the poem was not the right fit for this occasion," while expressing respect for the National Poet's artistic independence.
The Senedd building itself, which officially opened in 2006, houses a ceremonial mace gifted by the Australian New South Wales parliament. The mace is used at formal parliamentary events and is handcrafted from gold, silver, and brass.
